For many of us, comics are no longer a distant memory. Like anything else we cherished growing up there was a time when comics were not a part of our lives. That time was short and for most of us we picked right back up where we left off. For me, there was a huge ten year gap in comic book collecting. It wasn't until I found my old stacks of comics, boxed up in storage that I started to buy new books and start collecting again. It was a similar story for Adam Besenyodi, except he wrote a book about it.
Deus Ex Comica: The Rebirth of a Comic Book Fan is a trip down memory lane, to be cliche. While reading this book, I found myself putting it down just as often as almost every page if only to clear my head of my own memories that mirrored what Adam was describing. To me, it almost read like an auto-biography. This connection created a much higher emotional response to the book of course, but I strive to be as constructive as possible in my review. I have to say though, for a book about collecting and re-connecting with comics, it's a great study in emotional psychology and the things in life that really get our brains ticking and our hearts pumping.
Adam starts us off slow, telling of how he came upon his childhood collection and the memories that came back with it. Those memories, and the specific and detailed nature of them are what drives this book. From G.I. Joe to Avengers to Star Wars and beyond, Adam delves into each series that was core to his collection with enthusiasm and a precise recollection of the emotions and situations surrounding each book and each title. A true Marvel Comics fanboy, Adam takes us through his re-invigoration with mainstream comics while taking us through his original collection nearly book by book.
It's not just the comics themselves that Adam reminisces about, it's the artists as well. He speaks to the magestry of Alex Ross' art and the uncertainty of "Assistant Editors' Month" in comics. While it has to be noted that his whole collection is nothing but Marvel books, and there is a lot of Marvel history mentioned, that can be overlooked for the greater purpose of the story. Whether you are a Marvel fan or a DC fan (or a fan of any other publisher) you'll appreciate the history presented here. If you are a die-hard Marvel fanatic, you'll engorge yourself on the meticulous retelling of classic 1980's story lines and character plots.
Adam segues from the printed on paper comics to discuss the evolution of art in relation to the digital world with a short chapter on web-comics and his slow transition to music and art in a digital format. Then it's right back into the comics with a chapter on Young Avengers. I never thought I'd be reading a book that goes into such detail to actually feature a chapter on something as specific as Young Avengers, yet here it is. Adam's descriptions of the series (actually just Volume I) and his appreciation of Allan Heinberg's writing almost makes me want to go out and catch up on the series. I say almost because I myself am a hardcore Batman and DC universe fan. Which made reading and evaluating this book that much more challenging, in a good way.
The greatest balance I found in the book was Adam's desire for us to slow down and read each book panel to panel. To let each panel sink in before moving on to the next. To absorb the art and the writing to elicit the appropriate reaction before moving on to the next panel. Certain art and writing styles begin to stand out when such a method is applied to reading comics. Different writers create a different frame of mind and create a more enjoyable mood to fully appreciate the art. This method made it easy to follow writers and artists around the Marvel universe, from title to title. While it's easy to get lost in comics as a child, Adam points out that it's a conscious decision to get lost in comics as an adult, and it's totally worth it.
With a chapter devoted to comic book conventions and the merchandising of comic book characters in cartoons and as toys, Adam doesn't ignore the cultural and economical impact of comics on the world. He goes into full disclosure with his feelings about the theatrical releases of Marvel comics inspired movies, from Spider-Man to Transformers. He stresses the importance of comic toys and movies being able to capture our imagination, as well as being appropriate for their core audience - children.
Through reading this book, I found myself wanting to head to the comic book store to pick up some of the titles he had mentioned, mostly based on his description of the writing styles. Being a DC fan mostly, I missed a lot of the Marvel universe books that Adam mentions in the book. He does a good job of bringing out the curiosity level in the reader to see what he sees in these books. I'm thinking about a trade, I'll trade some mid-80's Superman books for some of those Avengers books he mentioned. It's a great feeling to know that you aren't the only adult out there so involved with comics. While they aren't the cornerstone of our lives (that would be our children) they are certainly something that is always there and we don't ever have to let go of. As Adam says in the introduction:
Wired: Great history and personal memoir of collecting comics, a good read for comic book fans of any genre or brand.
Tired: Adam's detailed descriptions of specific Marvel books can be a little overbearing at times, but it makes sense in the big picture and how it relates to his reactions and feelings about the books.
Stay tuned for an interview with the author where we'll discuss his inspirations for the book and why there is no DC universe in his collection.
